What's Your View Of The Arcade Collector Scene?

[Brentradio]

KLOV is great, but it's not the end all, be all, of the arcade collector world by far.

There are lots of arcade collectors who don't even know about KLOV or other prominent arcade sites on the net.

From ebay sellers, Hollywood movies, proliferation of Barcades and the like, car commercials, multiple arcade conventions, YouTube, Facebook and other social media sites that can promote the hobby of arcade collecting, there is a dizzying amount of resources available today for the current arcade collector.

All of these factors can have a positive or negative effect on the hobby.

My question isn't about YOUR personal feelings as it pertains to your situation, but as a whole on the way the rest of the world sees arcade collecting.

So, what's your view of the arcade collector scene today?



.

 

[Interlock]

I'm never sure if there's too much Zaxxon or not enough Zaxxon.

 

[Brentradio]

I'm never sure if there's too much Zaxxon or not enough Zaxxon.

I can assure you, if you're not sure then there's not enough Zaxxon.

 

[VectorCollector]

Bunch of Nerds.
(Which, actually, and surprisingly, is not true).

 

[jacklick]

...
My question isn't about YOUR personal feelings as it pertains to your situation, but as a whole on the way the rest of the world sees arcade collecting.

So, what's your view of the arcade collector scene today?



.

Not sure any of us can answer to "how the RoW sees the hobby". When I look in the mirror I still see that slim trim full head of hair 20-year-old so obviously my perspective is skewed to all hell.

I think most people will think it is interesting, for nerds, hoarders, crazy people, and not for them. Also probably think most with big collections are rich.

 

[Interlock]

Also probably think most with big collections are rich.

Only if you're a pinball collector Most of those guys I've visited to buy games or fix games literally do live in mansions (well, McMansions)

To have a big pinball collection these days you have to be rich, that pricing bubble is insane

 

[Tufnel]

So, what's your view of the arcade collector scene today?



.

Ive given this allot of thought and decided that I just dont care.

 

[jaxgatorgolf]

I think most people will think it is interesting, for nerds, hoarders, crazy people, and not for them. Also probably think most with big collections are rich.

I agree with this, and can assure you I am far from rich.

 

[joeycuda]

I agree with this, and can assure you I am far from rich.

Same here, I've pieced together a lot of junk.

I have a wall of CRT monitors/shelves when you look into my garage. I'm sure a couple of neighbors have thought WTF when they saw it.

I follow a few FB groups, KLOV, and that's about it. I interact with a few local collector/friends, but not often.

I've thought it would be cool to host an arcade event at my house, but still not sure if I ever will. I think it would be more fun to chat about collecting and repair than play the games, but that's pretty much how collecting has been for me.

 

[SanTe]

I've thought it would be cool to host an arcade event at my house, but still not sure if I ever will. I think it would be more fun to chat about collecting and repair than play the games, but that's pretty much how collecting has been for me.

As someone who has hosted arcade parties at my house fairly regularly over the last nine years I can tell you that it started out with a lot of playing and gradually got to the point where people would come over and we'd hang out in my arcade and excitedly talk collector stuff for hours, after playing games for maybe an hour, if at all.

That's not such a bad thing. Humans are meant to be social creatures. All of this interacting over computers and especially social networks on phones wasn't meant to displace the real world, but it has for many. That sucks.

You should host a party and invite every arcade collector person you know and like within a 100-mile radius, and see who shows up. You might strengthen some friendships, or even make a few new ones. In the last few years the turnout for any party I throw has gotten smaller as people have gotten busy or moved on to other things, but I keep trying. I have no intention of getting out of this hobby until I'm ready to go into hospice. I'm sure my wife wouldn't be happy to hear that, as I'm sure she's convinced it's a phase that I'll be done with before my 60s, but we'll see. She doesn't hate my hobby and in fact has been incredibly patient and supportive of it, but I don't think she wants to live in this house forever. She's waffled on that at times though. And at some point we'll both be too old to maintain this place, and downsizing all our crap to a simpler lifestyle I'm sure will look appealing.

As far as the "Arcade Collector Scene" goes, it is always slowly changing and evolving. People come and go, and there are good people and bad people everywhere in it. I try to focus on finding the good ones and slowly backing away from the bad ones. I just hope KLOV and any other technical and semi-technical arcade forum continues to function well enough that smart people continue to exploit new technologies to preserve these old games we love so much and then share their efforts with the world. We're entering a new era, a renaissance, for old arcade games with FPGA and I see a bright future for arcade culture preservation, if good people don't get burned out by all the negativity that infects every corner of this hobby to varying degrees.

 

[Ghostlyguy]

Humans are meant to be social creatures. All of this interacting over computers and especially social networks on phones wasn't meant to displace the real world, but it has for many. That sucks.

Zooming in on this. Absolutely agree.

 

[jacklick]

...I have a wall of CRT monitors/shelves when you look into my garage. I'm sure a couple of neighbors have thought WTF when they saw it.

I am out working in the garage, which is packed, a lot and just assume every neighbor thinks I am a giant hoarder and feels sorry for my wife. They probably are wondering if there are a thousand cats inside and we if we have to climb over shit to get to the bathroom. I purposely only crack the door open when they knock on the door to keep that illusion going.

Great way to not get bothered so I can work on my shit in the garage.

>edit actually I work on my own vehicles too. Half the people in my neighborhood wouldn't know how to change a tire or battery let alone fix a monitor or replace their own brakes. So they probably think we are all geniuses too.

 

[CBSoria]

I am out working in the garage, which is packed, a lot and just assume every neighbor thinks I am a giant hoarder and feels sorry for my wife. They probably are wondering if there are a thousand cats inside and we if we have to climb over shit to get to the bathroom. I purposely only crack the door open when they knock on the door to keep that illusion going.

Great way to not get bothered so I can work on my shit in the garage.

>edit actually I work on my own vehicles too. Half the people in my neighborhood wouldn't know how to change a tire or battery let alone fix a monitor or replace their own brakes. So they probably think we are all geniuses too.

This is good^^ I'm kind of similar. Although, I've been to quite a few real hoarder houses(for work) and the common theme is, they never have anything good.

 

[Yoeddy]

A couple of friends of mine (including me) are obsessed with the arcade scene, and one in particular knows the collector life. I think others can appreciate it, but at the end of the day, it's probably overwhelming to them, and they probably can't wrap their minds around getting into this hobby due to the real estate it requires and also all of those scary wires and boards!

Everybody has their "thing" to obsess over.

Jason

 

[XtraSmiley]

Man, I love games, arcade collecting, and PCB hoarding!!!

I have met a lot of cool people that have helped me along the way, both from KLOV and IRL. I've also met a lot of people that were in this hobby lightly and still enjoyed what they offered. It's been a fun ride, and I thank all the people who are cool and add to the hobby.

That being said, I think for whatever reason this hobby (or maybe it's all hobbies?) seems to attract a lot of people, that I can only describe as "on the spectrum".

Like people who focus in on minute details that maybe someone gets wrong or misunderstands and are total dicks about it.

I have seen this a LOT in the last 12 months when I began buying just PCBs, man, what a mixed bag of oddballs out there!

Also hoarders, lots of HOARDERS!

I'll also say, I probably resemble these remarks above, good ones and bad, from time to time, so I guess it's human nature, but I do believe I've seen it a lot up close thanks to video games!